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Cascais Municipal Council is putting the finishing touches on "Cascais com História", a programme designed to recognise, safeguard, and champion the shops, restaurants, and cultural and social entities that anchor the municipality's identity and collective memory. The initiative falls under the national "Comércio com História" legal framework, following similar measures already in place across municipalities like Lisbon and Porto.
Speaking to Time Out Cascais, municipal councillor Frederico Almeida Nunes clarifies that adopting the measure is not merely a copy-paste of models from Lisbon or Porto: "This is a nationwide project, and we want to tailor it to our own reality," he says, pointing to real estate pressure and the dilution of the traditional business fabric as primary drivers for pushing ahead. "A series of historic shops started to disappear. They vanished because modern acquisition targets are different. When we began seeing identical, generic storefronts opening up, especially in Cascais, we realised traditional commerce was slipping away. This regulation comes in precisely to protect the heritage of that trade."
Under the initiative, each venue's core concept is safeguarded regardless of ownership changes. According to the councillor, classification guarantees the survival of the original business typology even if the premises change hands. "What this means is that, for a historic shop, if the owner decides to sell, the concept itself must stay anchored to that space." Frederico Almeida Nunes illustrates: "If Livraria Galileu in Cascais, a bookstore with a 40-year history, is bought by someone looking to open a coffee shop, it’s not that they can’t. They can, but they have to preserve the name and tradition. It cannot stop being a bookshop, though it can become a bookshop with a café."
The regulation will cover small traditional businesses, venues of historical and architectural merit, craft workshops, and local cultural or sports associations. Applications can be submitted by business owners themselves, parish councils, heritage preservation groups, or launched directly ex officio by the municipality.
Asked about the timeline and potential venues already lined up, Frederico Almeida Nunes confirms that the formal application window should open early next year. "The process will likely only wrap up in January. Only then can businesses officially begin submitting applications."
Although the formal call is yet to launch, the councillor highlights the enthusiastic reception from local operators and singles out several long-standing names that fit the criteria. These include landmark spots such as Muchaxo at Guincho, Eduardo das Conquilhas and Toscano in Parede, and restaurant Traquitanas in Alcabideche.